September 13, 2013 at 10:57 AM
Bogaerts, Owens, Betts named Baseball America Minor League All-Stars
Baseball America released its 2013 Minor League All-Star team on Monday, naming Xander Bogaerts, Mookie Betts, and Henry Owens to its squad. Bogaerts was a first team selection while Betts and Owens were named as members of the second team.
Bogaerts, 20, had a captivating 2013 season that has seen him move through three levels of the organization. Starting the year with Double-A Portland, the young shortstop hit .311/.407/.502 with six home runs and 35 RBI in 56 games before being promoted to Triple-A Pawtucket. As a member of the PawSox, Bogaerts hit .284/.369/453 with nine home runs and 32 RBI in 60 games. The Arbua native made his major league debut with the Red Sox on August 20, and has appeared in 11 games, hitting .296/.321/.444 with a home run and four RBI. Widely regarded as one of the best prospects in all of baseball, Bogaerts also appeared in this year's MLB Futures Game, collecting two hits.
Betts, 20, had a breakout 2013 season, splitting time between Low-A Greenville and High-A Salem. In 76 games for the Drive, Betts hit .296/.418/.477 with eight home runs and 26 RBI. This strong performance led to Betts being named to a South Atlantic League All-Star. After being promoted to Salem, Betts performance picked up steam, as he hit .341/.414/.551 with seven home runs and 39 RBI in 51 games. The 2011 fifth round pick was recently named SoxProspects.com's 2013 Offensive and Breakout Player of the Year.
Owens, 21, also succeed at multiple levels of the Red Sox system this season. In 20 starts for Salem, the left-hander went 8-5 with a 2.92 ERA, striking out 123 in 104.2 innings pitched. Upon promotion to Portland, Owens was lights-out in six starts, going 3-1 with a 1.78 ERA, striking out 46 in just 30.1 innings. The 6-foot-6 hurler was a Carolina League All-Star as well as SoxProspects.com's 2013 Pitcher of the Year.
Photo credit: Xander Bogaerts by Kelly O’Connor.
John Gray is a Staff Writer for SoxProspects.com. Follow him on Twitter @JohnRGray.